Oh how I wish I had a lightning trigger

[JPalmer]

A series of storms has moved over the area with a TON of great bolts hitting things all over the place.

I had a great vantage point of downtown W-Falls and would have had plenty of bolts around downtown if I had one of those triggers.

My reactions are fast...but when it's ISO 200, F22 and 1/10th bright...they're not fast enough for the quick ground strikes I was seeing.

:-(

[jerrykr]

no trigger, then use long exposures, lots of them.

[JPalmer]

When it's 5 p.m.....that's kind of hard to do, especially when your longest exposure before blowing highlights in the clouds are 1/10th of a second.

If it were at night...I'd probably have been on the AP wire again.

[JPalmer]

Oh...and I was on top of a bridge out in the open...didn't want to stay too long. :)

Saw several buildings in the area get tagged, and photographed a tree that was split to the ground from a strike.

I was pushing the limits of my mortality (as usua)

[JamesB]

were these day or not time shots you were trying to get? or were you in a very bright night time scene and wanting to keep the buildings and such from being over exposed?

I typically shoot night time lightning using 1 to 30 second exposures, ISO and aperture will shutter speed will depend on your surrounding ambient light and what over all shot you are going for.

I have only tried day time lightning 2 times, was able to get one bad shot, I could see using a lightning trigger for day time shots, but night time its so much fun to constantly move the camera and tweak the settings as you go. I set my camera to bulb mode and use a remote to keep taking shots.

this is a 36 second exposure @ iso 200 and F22 ( i think)




this is a 4 second exposure iso 200 F8



lightning can strike you from 10 miles away, so be careful and never be afraid to tuck your tail and run and hide. I have had to do that several times, but sometimes it just go close for comfort.

James

[Raiderphotog07]

Jason, I was thinking the same thing this afternoon except it was pouring rain where I was and, sadly, I didn't have my camera with me. Unfortunately I haven't been carrying it with me as of late. By the way, I'm looking at upgrading my equipment next year if the finances fall right. :)